Home on the Range
by TyKae
Summary: When things fall apart in his life, Sora leaves his city-boy life behind and moves West to a cattle ranch, to what family he has left. And on top of his new life, he struggles with his feelings for a silver-haired certain ranch hand. SoRiku AkuRoku CLeon
1. Chapter 1

**Home on the Range  
**_  
_Tychos Kouros

**.  
**

Sora stared through the cold window he was leaning his head against, letting his mind wander. He was tired of traveling, his thoughts numb and and his neck hurting as the train he was on sped down the tracks, various landmarks of the barren, undeveloped land blurring by.

He was being dumped again.

Dead tree.

It had been two years since he'd last seen his brother. After their parents had died in a car accident when they were ten, he and Roxas had gone to live with relatives in Colorado, where his uncle owned a cattle ranch and farm, letting various companies manage crops on the land and pay him rent. Roxas enjoyed it much more than he did, though, so he ended up moving back to New York, living with his grandparents and visiting Roxas during the summer. His grandfather had died, though, and his grandmother decided to move in with other family. So Sora had made the decision to try living on his own, renting an apartment and getting himself a job.

Broken fence post.

It was a decision that went horribly wrong. He barely had enough for food, was living in a run-down tenement that was only _just_ better than something in a slum. Roxas had pitched a fit and tried to get him to move down to the ranch. Sora wouldn't do it though. He wanted to finish school, already in his Senior year. So Roxas left him alone, but only on the condition that Sora be willing to take money to help him get by. He accepted, and had been getting checks every month to keep him from starving. The money made things better, but he was still miserable. He'd never admit it to Roxas though, even though Roxas probably knew it anyways. Roxas was perceptive like that. But he toughed through it, and managed to finish High School. And on the day of his graduation, he got home and found a letter from the ranch in the mail. Instead of money, inside were tickets for a plane trip to Colorado and a train to the middle of nowhere, with a letter from Roxas telling him to leave his shit behind in the apartment and bring only what he could fit into suitcases, because he was moving to Colorado whether he liked it or not.

Cow.

Sora whipped his head around and took a second look at the cow standing near the tracks, on the other side of a fence that was running by the tracks. It was just another thing to remind him how far he was in the middle of nowhere, sitting in a train that was chugging away from any form of the civilization he'd gotten used to in New York. He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to sleep, but he wasn't tired. His body was tired, but he'd slept so much that he couldn't sleep. He'd slept on the planes and in the airports to pass the time.

So he reached down in his bag and pulled out his iPod. It had been over three years since he'd been to the ranch. The past few years Roxas had been willing to come up to New York, to spend time with their grandparents since they were starting to get older and sicker. And even when he'd gone, he'd never really fit in well. He liked it, sure. It was fun. But after a while he got tired of being woken up early in the morning by roosters and bells to wake the cowhands for that day's work. And he'd gotten tired of the loneliness. The loneliness was the worst of it. Other than Roxas, he'd never gotten along with anyone. The cowhands were too... different. Most were nice, and some of them looked out for him whenever he visited, but they were just on different wavelengths. Roxas was really the only one who could speak both of their languages. And it didn't help when some of the more ignorant hands thought it was funny to mess with the city boy. Those were the types that would pick him on when no one else was around, "accidentally" knocking him down into cow shit, or "accidentally" hitting him with a bale of hay.

He shook his head and turned on his music, reminding himself that he was bigger now and wouldn't take any of their shit. He wasn't a little kid any more who they could push around. He was more mature and didn't need to take that from them.

_He wanted something else from them._

He looked out the window again, trying to distract himself from the rogue thought of a cowhand half naked, stripping as he walked to the showers after a long day, sweaty and well-built. He started watching the fence posts blur past again, forcing the thoughts from his mind. He was in a different world now, and he couldn't forget that. All his friends had known he was gay, and Roxas knew he was gay. And his uncle wouldn't have a problem with it, because his cousin Cloud, who lived with his uncle after Sora's aunt had died and Uncle Cid had taken him in, was gay too. But it still wasn't something any of the cowhands needed to know. Only people close to him back in New York knew, and it would stay that way out West.

Especially since he was the new kid on the block. He'd have enough problems from the culture shock, and homophobia didn't need to be added on top of that.

* * *

Aerith stared up from the eggs she was cooking as the rooster crowed. She was usually the first one up on the entire ranch. It was her job to make sure all the hands were fed, to make sure Cid got his sausage, to make sure, in general, that the house was ready to survive the day in, at the very least, close to the same condition it started out in. But today was special. Sora would be arriving. Cid had refused to allow any hands to meet him at the station, he had instead asked his friend (who also happened to be the owner of the local bar) to pick him up so that the he and the hands could focus on preparing a particularly large shipment of cattle to be ready for transport. She remembered vividly how he put it:

"Otis's gonna give the kid a ride, we gotta be hauling ass all day to get that shipment ready for the road and on its way by 2:00. Can't afford to be a man down today, and Otis had something to bring me anyways."

She had argued with him over the matter, being fully aware of the man's driving abilities. He, and he said it was pride, was the "All-Region Mud Racing Racer of the Year".

Aerith reached out the window and rang the bell, signaling for all the ranch hands to come for breakfast and be on their way to their duties. A roar erupted out of the barracks as they scrambled for the food she'd set out on the large tables beneath the covered patio outside the kitchen. It wasn't long before Roxas walked through the door just like he did every morning.

"Aerith, Cid's whining about his sausages."

"Roxas, tell Cid that it's his own fault for not giving me enough money. If he wants decent food, he needs to give me the money to buy it." Roxas nodded, walking back out the door.

The sun was high as Aerith settled into her usual routine. Breakfast was over and she had until dinner before the entire farm converged on her kitchen for food again. Lunch was easy to prepare, since people tended to drift in and out depending on their schedules. She'd much rather take a few requests at a time than fix massive amounts of food all at once.

She was cleaning the tables from breakfast, stacking cleaned plates and gathering the silverware, when a cloud of dust rose in the distance from the road leading to the ranch.

Otis.

Most people sped down the straight roads, given that the large tracts of land between each ranch, and even more so from the ranches to the town, were uneventful and easy to maneuver. But only Otis ever pushed on 200 mph. And he did it in a 1978 Ford F100 he kept alive with duct tape and salvaged parts.

Setting one last plate down onto the table's stack, she headed out to meet him in front of the house. Cid had already started making his way over, leaving behind three heands to get the cows on the truck he'd been helping with. The run-hard brown truck pulled up to the house, a thick cloud of dust sweeping over them as it stopped. Aerith heard a door open and slam shut, the heavily accented voice of Otis breaking through.

"Hot damn! Broke m' ol' record by ten seconds!" Cid laughed as he walk towards his friend. The two started to talk, and behind them the passenger door creaked open and a dazed Sora, holding on tight to his backpack, staggered out of the truck. He was still shaking as Aerith rushed to his side, helping him stand. Roxas bolted out of the front door of the main house, tackling his brother and giving him a crushing hug. Sora, hugged back, still trying to breathe from the truck ride.

"Welcome home, Sora!" Aerith said. "We have your room ready, right across the hall from Roxas an down the hall from Cloud and Cid. We'll get someone to grab your stuff. Is there anything I can get for you?"

"Water?" Sora asked, his voice weak, almost a whine, as he begged. Aerith nodded and went to get him a glass of water. Sora staggered over to the stairs, sitting on the first step, his bag against his leg as he took deep breaths.

"So how was your trip?" Roxas asked, sitting down by Sora on the stairs.

"It was okay. The worst part was...," Sora said, shaking his head as he immediately thought back to screaming his throat raw at 200 mph down a dirt road, " the waiting. For flights and on the train and stuff. It was boring." Roxas nodded, smiling. Sora looked around at the ranch, at the buildings and the men trying to load the cows on the truck. Aerith came out of the door behind him and handed him a glass of water. He took a sip while Aerith walked forward to talk to Cid and Otis.

"I'm really glad you're here," Roxas said, leaning his head on Sora's shoulder. Sora smiled, leaning his head on Roxas's.

"Thanks." They sat there like that, Sora draping his arm behind Roxas's neck and over his shoulder. "Hey, so tell me about this guy you met." Roxas sat up blushed a little, looking down at the ground. Sora laughed a little, nudging Roxas in the side with his elbow.

"His name's Axel..." Roxas said.

"Aaaaand?" Roxas shot a glare over at Sora and sighed.

"And he's really sweet. He's the mechanic, and he's really good at fixing stuff." Sora watched Roxas, who didn't say anything else.

"And?" Sora asked, poking Roxas.

"And what?"

"Have you done anything yet?" Roxas's eyes widened as he blushed, speechless. "Oh, really now?"

"That's not any of your business!" Sora laughed, causing Roxas to push him on the arm. Sora shook his head, hugging Roxas. Roxas calmed down, then laughed a little. "I really am glad you're here. I've been worried about you." Sora nodded, then let go of Roxas.

"You didn't need to. I was fine." _Lie. _Roxas watched him, not believing him, but was cut off as Cid walked up before he could say anything.

"Welcome home, Sora." Cid said, sticking out his hand. Sora shook it, smiling.

"Thanks, Uncle Cid."

"We have your room ready upstairs. I'll get someone to carry your stuff up in a few minutes." Sora nodded.

"I promised Axel I'd go hang out with him while he works, so do you want me to show you to your room now?" Roxas asked.

"Sure." Roxas nodded and they both stood up, Sora grabbing his backpack as he followed Roxas into the house and up to his room. He had to admit, the house was _nice_. Electric lamps designed to look like gas ones, the floors and walls were made of cut wood, the furniture, although with clearly worn fabric, was high-end oak, he was amazed at how well they'd pulled of the Western style. After countless left turns and two flights of stairs, they turned into what was obviously the hall to the master bedroom. The hallway, which ended with a large door he could only guess led into Cid's room, was lined with six doors, three on each side.

"Here's your room." They stopped at the first door on the right. "I'm in the room down at the end of the hall, with Cloud, and the one across the room," Leon gave a slight nod backwards to the door behind him, "is a bathroom. Me, Cloud, and Cid use the one at the end of the hall. Aerith usually takes care of all the laundry, just leave it near the so she can get it late-afternoon. Go ahead and get some sleep, I'll make sure someone comes to get ya before dinner." Sora nodded, and hugged Roxas before he watched him head back down the stairs. He shifted the backpack on his shoulder and opened the door, heading into his new room.

His room was decorated in the same Western style as the rest of the house, but it was the computer on the desk and the large TV and sound system that amazed him. A folded piece of paper laid on the keyboard, with a note written inside:

_Sora,_

_Hope you like your new room! I had Axel order this since he knows more about this stuff than I do, and I know how much you love computers. And I know the TV's nice too, but don't lock yourself up here and rot, ok?_

_Roxas~_

Sora had to smile at Roxas even going so far as to get his boyfriend to order and setup a kickass computer and TV. He turned the TV on, and, unfamiliar with the channels, left it on the weather station. He put his backpack on top of the dresser at the foot his bad, then fell onto the large, soft bad. He closed his eyes and suddenly felt exhausted, just barely getting his shoes off and off the bed before he'd fallen asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Home on the Range  
**_  
_Tychos Kouros

**.**

Sora woke to a hand on his shoulder, shaking him. He swatted at it a little, still half asleep, but the hand only shook his shoulder harder. Finally he rubbed at his eyes and sat up.

"Dinner's ready." The voice hung in the air, rolling through Sora's body. He nodded and squinted through stinging eyes. Looking back at him were the most beautiful pair of eyes he'd ever seen, a pale, gentle, yet firm and serious, face, with long silver hair flowing down to strong shoulders. All Sora could do, half-asleep and mesmerized, was stare with his mouth open, nodding at nothing in particular. The guy stood up and walked toward the door. Sora shook his head a little, trying to wake himself up from both the sleep and the daze he was in. He took a few deep breaths, taking his time waking up.

"Coming?" Sora's jerked his head, wide awake now. He nodded and hurried off the bed, pulling his shoes on.

"Sorry, I thought you'd left," Sora said, glancing over at the man, who was leaning against the wall by the open door. All the guy did was shrug, turning his head and looking at Sora. Sora could feel his face getting hot, so he looked away, towards his suitcase, and decided to dig out a sweatshirt. For later. In case it got cold. Yeah.

His favorite sweatshirt for chilly nights, a black hoodie with a red pouch and white trim, was on the top of the pile in his suitcase. He'd gotten it out a few times at the airports, when he was cold in the early mornings while riding the shuttles and waiting in the airport gates. He pulled it over his head while he walked towards the door, enjoying the feeling of the fluffy soft insides running over his cheek. Until he felt his arm go through a hole that seemed too big. He pulled his arm back in and tried again, but only got more tangled in the hoodie as he thrashed and fought and worked it more and more.

"Fuck." He kept fighting with it, getting more and more desperate as he realized how big of an idiot he looked in front of a total stranger. In his new room. Being strangled by his sweatshirt.

"Stop." Sora froze, one arm still wrenched behind his head. He heard a sigh and a few footsteps. Then the sweatshirt lifted a bit, freeing his trapped arm, before the neck hole was pulled down around his head and he was face to face with the eyes that were even more beautiful when his vision was sleep-blurred. All Sora could do was stare back into them, his mouth open, until the man turned and walked towards the door, Sora following behind as he finished getting his arms through the sleeves.

"Thanks," Sora said as he shut the door behind him, looking up to find the man smirking at him.

"No problem," he said, starting down the stairs with Sora following him. "Clothing can just be so complicated sometimes."

"Well, I was half asleep. And it was dark," Sora said. The man's snort was just loud enough that he could hear it over the sounds them walking down the steps.

"I should give you a little credit, I guess," he said.

"You should."

"I mean, you didn't put it on backwards, so..."

"Exactl—... hey!" They were at the bottom of the stairs and the man stopped, turning around, grinning at Sora.

"It was a compliment," the man said.

"Yeah, sure it was." But the man just smiled, a genuine smile that caught Sora off guard and made him smile back, laughing a little. Then he reached over and ruffled Sora's hair until Sora managed to swat his hand away.

"I'll see you around." Sora just nodded, leaning against the wall for a few seconds. Then he sat down on the bottom step and took a few deep breaths, waiting until the heavy feeling in his pants was gone.

* * *

Everyone was already sitting down and eating when Sora walked into the living room. Most of the hands ate outside, but for dinner more of them, mostly the more permanent staff and the family, ate inside. Roxas, who was sitting right next to Axel, was at the dinner table with Cid, Aerith, Cloud, Leon, and two others he'd never met before. Roxas introduced them as Terra, Leon's younger cousin, and Ventus, Terra's "friend", though Sora picked up on the inner-family glances and reassuring smiles.

Roxas had already gotten Sora's plate, which was set between Roxas and Aerith. There was mashed potatoes, pork chops, fried okra, sliced tomato, and a biscuit. It was the first decent meal he'd had in almost a year, and almost wasn't able to finish it all. After dinner, they moved to the couches around the fireplace while Cid and some of the senior hands, including Axel, Cloud, Leon, and Terra, had their nightly meeting. Between the meal, the fire, and the couch, which was way more comfortable than any couch should ever be, Sora was in a half-sleep euphoria, watching the shadows dance on the coffee table. Ten minutes later his food had settled and he was more awake, talking to Roxas.

"So do you like your room?" Roxas asked.

"Yeah, and thanks for the TV and the computer. You guys really didn't have to."

"Like I said, Axel helped me pick those out. There's no way I'd have known what to order by myself."

"You really love him, don't you?" Sora asked, grinning.

"Watch the L-word, Sora," Roxas said, fidgeting. But it just egged Sora on.

"Awww, does someone have a wittle cwush?" Sora pinched Roxas's cheeks and pulled on them. Roxas smacked at his hands until he let go, blowing a huff and pouting while Sora laughed. When Sora stopped laughing, he wrapped his arm around Roxas's shoulder, while Roxas relaxed and leaned against Sora.

"I, uh... I think—... I mean, I do. Love him. Ya know?" Roxas said, keeping his voice low. He sat up straighter and crossed his legs. "He's all I can think about. But it's more than just that. I get sick thinking about him not being around, or not being with him. I mean, we... you know. But that's not what it is. It's a perk. Oh fuck is it a perk. But... we could never do it again and if everything else stayed the same I'd be just as happy. And I'm pretty sure he'd do anything for me. He messes around with me a lot, but at the end of the day I know he'd do anything to see me smile. He makes me feel like... I just..." Roxas stared down at his lap for a few seconds. "Is this... is it bad?" Sora smiled at him, shaking his head.

"No, it's not bad. It's called happiness, Roxas. It's love and happiness, two things you haven't felt enough of in a long time." Roxas's eyebrows furrowed as he thought hard about it. "I'm happy for you," Sora said. Roxas smiled, then turned around, looking over the back of the couch towards the table across the room, where Axel was sitting talking to Cid and the others. Sora turned to look to, and his head spun when he noticed silver hair. He was nodding, staring down at a notebook in front of him on the table. Sora stared at him until he pushed his hair back and stretched his arms, looking over in Sora's direction. Sora turned away as fast as he could, hoping he hadn't been caught staring. But when looked over at Roxas he found Roxas looking back at him, grinning like an idiot.

"What?"

"Speaking of crushes..." Roxas said, nudging him. Sora shook his head, about to deny. "Oh please, you were ogling."

"I was not ogling."

"Sora, you were ogling. And not just ogling. You were Buddhist monk zen trance mind-fucking ogling," Roxas said.

"I was not—"

"Who is it?" Roxas asked. Sora rolled his eyes, but it only made Roxas more determined. "Come on, Sora. I put my business out in the open, you have to do the same. Who is it?" Sora finally gave in and took a deep breath, letting it out in a sigh.

"The guy with the silver hair," Sora said, not looking to see Roxas's reaction.

"You mean Riku?"

"Sure, okay" Sora said, shrugging. But in his head he was rolling the name around, repeating it and cataloging it and burning it permanently into the archives of his brain.

"You didn't even know his name and he still had you drooling," Roxas said.

"It doesn't matter. I can't get involved like that with anyone."

"And I'm the one who hasn't felt it in too long?" Sora frowned, which Roxas saw as an opening. "Give me one reason why you shouldn't."

"Because I just moved here and can't afford a bad relationship ruining this," Sora said.

"How would it ruin anything?"

"Word would get out, it'd cause Cid trouble, everyone would... I don't know, think things."

"Yeah, Sora, it'd be the ranch's scandal of the century," Roxas said, "because I totally didn't get caught a few months ago bent over the shop's breakroom table with Axel drilling my ass." Sora's eyes widened, but Roxas cut him off before he could say anything. "It's not exactly news around here, Sora. Gay sex happens. At least half that table over there is gay. Leon and Cloud, Terra and Ven, Axel and me. And Cid won't see it as trouble. None of us will. We protect each other. We're a family. And not just by blood, because there's plenty of blood family that aren't worth shit. We're a real family, who kills for each other if that's what it takes. And Cid or any of the others don't want anyone here who would fuck with his family over stupid shit like this. Everyone at that table, and everyone on this ranch knows that if you fuck with anyone who's family here, they won't find your body." Roxas took a few breaths, looking at Sora, who was busy absorbing everything Roxas had just thrown at him. "Okay? That's what I've been trying to tell you, Sora. That's why I've wanted you out here. You're family. And whether you're straight or gay or rich or poor, or whatever it is that's brought you here, we still watch out for you. We watch out for each other. So don't give me shit reasons like that. If you want to, and you do," he said, poking Sora's forehead for emphasis, "then give it a try. If it goes well, then there you go. If it doesn't, then it doesn't. If it doesn't happen at all, then okay. But don't think you have to hold yourself back here like that. Promise me," Roxas said, holding an extended pinky out.

"Roxas—"

"Promise me, Sora. As my brother." Sora finally gave up and pinky swore to it.

"But if nothing happens—"

"Then nothing happens," Roxas said, agreeing. "This isn't about getting you in bed with Riku. It's about you knowing that you _could_. It's about you knowing that you could have an orgy. In the showers. With men or women. Or cattle. For money, should you so choose."

"Images I didn't need, Roxas," Sora said.

"I blame Axel," Roxas said, rolling his eyes.

"I just want to get settled. I haven't even unpacked and you have me in shower orgies with cows. I need to get used to even being here before anything happens."

"That's fine. That's a good reason. Not that, 'People will think things' shit. Do whatever it is you want to do. That's my point. Rub it out good or whatever you want for the night, and just go with whatever happens. Because you were ogling, Sora."

* * *

Roxas sent Sora up to bed an hour later. His jet lag was visibly wearing on him, and he'd nodded off twice on the couch. He didn't quite want to go to bed, but Roxas insisted. He unpacked his bags when he got back into his room, piddling around putting things in temporary, to-be-decided places. But even with the TV on and himself preoccupied, he still couldn't shake the lonely feeling as he walked around his room. He got ready for bed and tried to get comfortable, but it still felt weird to him. The comfortable bed, the soft sheets, it wasn't the cold room and hard mattress that he'd gotten used to.

He turned over and stared out the window, looking out at the land. Even with the lights of the house and buildings and the streetlights that lit the roads for the night watchmen who were patrolling, he could still see more stars than he ever saw in New York. It's not that he was happier there. He was miserable, and he admitted it. He was lonely, scared, and miserable. But even in a warm bed with his brother nearby, that was still how he felt. Lonely, scared, and, albeit significantly less, miserable. There was only a handful of people he knew well within thousands of miles, he didn't know anything about surviving in the miles upon miles of wilderness that surrounded him in any direction, and there wasn't a police station, fire station, or hospital for who knows how far. And as if his geographic situation weren't bad enough, his body was rebelling every time a certain silver haired man, or, _Riku_ – God, what a beautiful name – was in the same room as him. No, scratch that, just thinking about him. Sora shifted in his bed, getting hot as he felt his head began to swirl. He closed his eyes and imagined the stars, focusing on counting them in his head until he finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Roxas sat down next to Axel at the table, smiling at him.

"All right, so that wraps up everything for the shipment?" Cid asked, taking a sip of his whiskey.

"Physically, yes," Leon said. "There's still all the auction paperwork and general things to do, but me and Cloud are heading there tomorrow to get all of that wrapped up."

"They have water tonight though, right?" Cid asked.

"Of course. Water and hay, both. I called the hand that's watching them an hour and a half ago to make sure."

"Why are you always so paranoid about that?" Cloud asked. "No auction in their right mind would want shrink to hurt their money. They want them as fat as possible just like we do, so they can have the biggest cut possible—"

"Unless some suit paid them more than they'd make from their cut of the sale to let shrink cut the weight and the price," Cid said.

"But that still makes no sense. If the auction isn't losing money by the shrink and payoff difference, then the stockyard is paying more than they would if they just didn't let the cow get its weight back on for the weighing to begin with."

"It doens't need to make sense, Cloud. If there's a profit to be made, then there's a deal to be cut. Period. I don't trust any of those bastards," Cid said. But Cloud just shook his head.

"But the buyer and the seller can't both profit from a deal. If they aren't meeting in the exact middle, then one of them is losing money and the other's gaining it. And the auction is as much seller as we are."

"Does any of this actually matter?" Aerith cut in, carrying a few bottles of beer. "They have water and hay for the night, so this auction-buyer cahoots conspiracy is all hypothetical, isn't it?"

"I just don't trust them," Cid said.

"Fair enough," Cloud said, taking a sip from his fresh beer bottle.

"So, that handles that. Axel, how's it going with that auger?" Cid asked. Axel just shrugged.

"It's going as good as it was since last week." Cid opened his mouth to yell, but Axel cut him off, adding, "I still haven't gotten that piece from the tractor company. You guys said you had it covered, and it's not like I can do anything until the piece gets here. I can't just pull one out of my ass or anything."

"Well, where is the piece?" Cid asked, taking a harsh gulp of beer to keep from yelling.

"Hell if I know. I don't have time to be playing international phone tag. That's a desk job, and I've got too much else to do to be wasting my time on a desk job that doesn't get everything else in the shop closer to being done."

"We need to get that fencing finished though, and it's not helping that we're only using three of the tractors," one of the team leaders said.

"And my ass is still as lacking in auger parts as it was three minutes ago, got it memorized?" Axel said, rubbing his forehead. "I don't know what you want me to do."

"What about the other tractor? We have five, right?" he asked.

"If it's not in the shop, then I don't know."

"The hay spear was on it for moving some hay rolls today. If you guys want to get an auger hooked up on it, we can spare it for a few days," Cloud said.

"You guys also need to make sure that anyone who's not using a farm truck has chains ready by September 1st. I'm ordering the chains for ours tomorrow and that's just a good deadline for a two-month buffer, because last winter was bullshit and if we have the same daily clusterfuck of pulling one truck after another out of snow, you guys are repairing the wear on the equipment yourselves." Axel said. Cid nodded.

"We're not doing last winter. I have half a mind to charge any hands a towing fee if we have to tow them out, because everybody spent more time with their thumbs up their asses waiting for their trucks to get pulled out than everything else we did combined. Get snow chains, it's not complicated." Cid said. "Anyways, I'll get someone on that auger piece tomorrow. Is there anything else?"

"Just don't forget to get me the invoices for any fuel costs from the shipment today. I'm still deciding if I want to add it to the general fuel cost or add it specifically to this auction, so I need to know what I'm looking,at. Just keep that in mind," Riku said.

"That's fine," Cid said, "You need a light day tomorrow so you're conscious when the auction receipts come in, so let's get the fifth tractor hooked up with the tiller and you can work one or two of the hay fields. We need to start getting those ready for seeding." Aerith came in with a fresh cup of coffee, refilling Riku's empty mug.

"I should get started on these then," Riku said, stacking the piles of folders to carry. Everyone nodded and stood, ending the nightly meeting. Roxas started to get up and walk into the kitchen, but a hand grabbed his arm, pulling him back into a hard body.

"Where do you think you're going?" Axel asked in his ear, long arms snaking down from Roxas's shoulders down to his stomach, thumbs slipping into his pants, underneath the waistband of his boxers, rubbing his hips. Soft lips pressed on his neck, just behind his earlobe. He leaned back into Axel, breathing hard.

"Aw, fuck, get a room!" Cid said, shaking his head as he walked past. Axel chuckled, his thumbs slipping out of Roxas's pants. He moved in front of Roxas and knelt down, offering Roxas a piggy back ride. Roxas climbed onto his back, hugging Axel's neck and resting his chin on Axel's shoulder as he was lifted. They started walking out of the house and towards Axel's apartment above his garage.

"Hey, Axel?" Roxas said, turning his head toward Axel's, his cheek on Axel's shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"I..." Axel glanced towards him, looking forward again to watch where he was going. "I just... uh..." Roxas took a deep breath, forcing it out. "I love you." Axel smiled, laughing a little.

"I love you too, Rox." Roxas smiled, nuzzling Axel's neck as he hugged him tighter.


	3. Chapter 3

**Home on the Range  
**_  
_Tychos Kouros

**.**

Sora woke up a few hours later, way too early to be awake but nonetheless unable to sleep. He wandered out of his room towards the bathroom, decent enough in his shirt and boxers, his brain lost somewhere between fully consciousness and sleep-dazed. Which means he was very much _not _prepared to run into Riku while opening the bathroom door.

A half-dressed Riku, wearing pajama pants.

No shirt.

Oh God...

Sora swallowed a few times trying to clear the lump in his throat, doing everything possible not to stare at Riku's pecs or his gorgeous abs or the light whisper of silver hair on his belly, right above the hem of the pants where his...

"Hi," Riku said, flashing a smirky kind of smile.

"H-hi," Sora finally ground out, airy and weak. He was so pathetic. "I, uh..."

"Can't sleep?" Riku finished for him. Sora nodded.

"Yeah, jet lag and all that." Riku nodded back, running his hand through his long, silver hair as he scratched the back of his head, yawning.

"Well, if you're up for a while you could hang out in my room while I work. Some company might make it a little less mind-numbing," Riku said with a laugh. Sora's kneejerk reaction was to say no and run to his room, where he'd hide under his blankets, escaping to his designated happy place. But, and he'd punch him later for it, he could hear Roxas in the back of his head, nagging him about that damned pinky promise he'd made. Here was Riku, a _half-dressed_ Riku, offering a chance to get to know each other. In his room. Alone. Sora swallowed again, looking to the door of his room, before back to Riku, who was watching Sora close for his answer.

"Yeah, sure," Sora said, nodding and managing a small smile. "I'd like that."

* * *

Riku's room, which Sora was woefully uninformed about, was the room next to his, between Leon and Cloud's room down at the end of the hall and his own. He'd just figured it was a guest bedroom or Roxas' old room.

"I only use it when I'm working," Riku said, noticing Sora's furrowed eyebrows trying to sort out the living arrangements. He sat down at the desk where papers and notebooks were scattered. The clothes he'd been wearing earlier were crumpled up in a ball and sitting on the table beside his bed. Unlike his own room, Sora got the distinct feeling of a hotel room, furnished and occupied, but temporary. Other than the desk, with its computer and papers and the filing cabinets that filled the corner, everything was easily packed up and moved, leaving it as just another bedroom.

Riku had a hand tangled in his hair, his head supported by his arm as he marked on a paper, looking up at the computer every so often. Sora sat on the bed in the silence, until Riku stood up with the paper and moved to one of the filing cabinets.

"So you're from New York, huh?" Riku asked, working on another paper.

"Yeah."

"So how do you like it out here?"

"It's nice," Sora said. "I mean, it's different. _Really_ different, but..."

"Trying to find a nice way to say you're a city boy?" Riku asked, turning around.

"Yeah... but only because it's what I know. And don't get me wrong, I love this place. It's great living somewhere decent. With a nice bed and a huge TV and a kickass computer. But it's weird having to worry about getting run over by a house when I step out of the house or having roosters waking me up when the sun rises..."

"We don't have roosters," Riku said. "They're fucking nuts. They'll peck your eyes out just for the hell of it. And no, they don't crow when the sun comes up. They crow _all the time._ Midnight and the bastards are screaming about nothing. So no, any roosters that come through here are promptly thrown in the oven."

"... they peck your eyes out?" Riku grinned at Sora's expression, turning back around to make some notes in the notebook.

"Roosters are from hell. Period. I'd rather have a bull gore me than get thrashed by a rooster. It's way less emasculating." Sora just nodded, looking down at the carpet. "So you and Roxas seem pretty close."

"He's my brother..." Sora said, "Of course we're close."

"It's good that you're close to your brother is what I mean. There's lots of brothers that aren't."

"Do you have a brother?"

"No," Riku said. "I'm an only child."

"So how'd you end up out here?" Riku stopped writing in the notebook and took a slow, deep breath, letting it out in a long sigh. He opened up a drawer in the desk and pulled out a bottle of whiskey and a class, filling the glass halfway before turning swiveling the chair around to face Sora.

"You want some?" Riku said, offering the glass he'd just poured.

"I'm not old enough." Riku snorted.

"I'm not either, so that's beside the point." Sora's eyebrows furrowed, thinking, before he shook his head. Riku shrugged. "The short version of the story is that my grandfather sent me out here."

"Your parents?" Sora asked."

"Dead." The neutrality of it shocked Sora. No sadness, no anger, just... Riku took a sip from the glass. "My dad died when I was four. He was a banker. My mom raised me, but she died when I was twelve. My dad was killed in a mugging, my mom died in a car accident."

"... are you okay?" Sora asked. Riku let out a sigh again.

"I'm over it. I've been over it for a long time. I loved my mom, and I never knew my dad but apparently he was a good person. I just try to be the sort of person they'd have wanted."

"So you lived with your grandfather?"

"Actually, I lived with my uncle. He knew my dad from school, and my dad and my mom met through him."

"Your uncle is your mom's brother and worked with your dad?" Sora asked, trying to keep everything straight.

"Right. After she died, I lived with him. He traveled a lot, so I spent a lot of time basically living alone, with just the staff taking care of things around the house. When I was sixteen, I moved out and lived on my own, working at my uncle's bank as a teller."

"Then what about your grandfather?" Sora asked.

"He's my dad's father. I lived with my uncle only because I couldn't live with him. He's a great guy, and he's helped me out a lot, but he travels around the world, and has a bunch of homes in a bunch of places. They didn't think it was stable enough for me."

"But how did all that end you up here?"

"I needed to get away from my uncle," Riku said, taking a long sip. "He... well, he ended up hating my father, and he treated my mom bad all her life. He's just... evil. I guess that's the only way to put it. He's a sociopath, a control freak, a sadist... the whole gamut. When I lived with him, he bordered on abusive—"

"Physically?" Sora snapped his mouth shut after it slipped out.

"Mentally and emotionally, but he smacked me around a few times when he was particularly pissed." Again, Sora was caught off guard by how neutral Riku managed to say it, though Sora could tell it was a less comfortable part of his personal life to talk about. "When I worked for him, he tried to make me miserable. Granted, he tried to make everyone miserable. So when I graduated high school, my grandfather found me a job here with Cid."

"... and you're happy?" Sora asked, his voice soft. Riku paused before answering, but nodded.

"Yeah. I am." Silence slipped in, before Sora asked another question.

"What does your grandfather do?"

"He owns a bank. Lots of banking in my family, right?" Riku said with a laugh. "He's my dad's adoptive father. So I'm not technically his grandson. But yeah... he owns a multinational bank holding company. So basically, he owns lots of banks. Which is how he met Cid. Back a few years ago, during the Mad Cow Scare, this place almost went under. My uncle was trying to auction it off for a profit, but Cid found Ansem, who bought it from auction so that Cid could hang onto it. So when he came to Cid asking about a place where I could live and work and go to school, Cid was more than happy to help."

"... I'm sorry," Sora said, offering a sad smile. Riku grinned and moved to sit next to Sora on the bed.

"Don't be, we all take our lumps in life. And I'm fine now, which is all that matters." Sora nodded, still frowning. "Kind of like you, right?" Sora jerked his head up, eyes wide.

"Wh—... huh?" Riku shrugged.

"I mean, last year was tough for you, right?"

"What'd they say about it?" Sora asked, suddenly self-conscious.

"They didn't, really. I mean, it's not like Cid sat everyone down and went over your life history. He just told everyone you were coming, so they'd know to shoot at you. But I heard Roxas talking to Cid one night about it. And it's not like I know everything, just that it's been hard, right?" Sora nodded. "But you're fine now. You made it, and now you're here. Same with me. Things were tough, but I made it and now I'm here. So there's no reason to be sorry. Right?" Sora nodded, still visibly upset. Riku slipped a finger under Sora's chin and tilted his head back, forcing Sora to make eye contact.

"Right?" Riku asked again, with a smile. This time Sora smiled.

"Right." Riku ran his thumb across the corner of Sora's lips. Sora's eyes drooped, his breathing getting lighter. Sora swallowed at the lump that was in his throat again, looking away. "Uh..."

"Yeah, I mean... sorry," Riku said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"No, it's..."

"Too fast. Yeah. The alcohol's not helping." It was an awkward few seconds as they sat there ramrod straight, hands to themselves. Sora's stomaching was flipping, nervous energy making his head light. But after a few seconds of building up the strength, he ignored it and turned, kissing Riku's cheek. It was quick, and it was so fucking childish he wanted to slap himself, but Riku just smiled and ran a hand through Sora's hair.

"Thanks," Riku said. Sora nodded, blushing so hard his face felt like it was on fire.

"Just so you know," Sora said.

"Because I totally didn't know earlier when you were drooling over every inch of my body," Riku said, laughing. Sora sputtered, standing up.

"I wasn't—!"

"Oh, don't even!" Riku said, standing up in front of him.

"I... you..." Sora tried to get out, finally giving up and smiling. "It's not my fault you look good." Riku smiled. "Or that you walk around without a shirt on."

"Yeah, well... it's not my fault you're cute." Everything in Sora's head started spinning.

"C-cute?"

"Yeah, do they not have mirrors in New York or something?" Riku was smirking, and all Sora could think about was how he was, shirtless and smirking and...

"Hey," Riku said, snapping Sora out of his daze. "Seriously, slow. I'm buzzed and you're new. And we've got all the time in the world." Riku's smile was one of the most genuine Sora had ever seen in his entire life, and if he wasn't crushing hard before, he was totally gone now. All he could do was nod as Riku slipped his hand down to the small of Sora's back, guiding him towards the door. "I don't mean to be throwing you out or anything, but I wanna be completely sober for whatever happens, yeah?"

"No, it's fine. And you've got work, right? I didn't mean to be a bother." Riku just shook his head, giving him that smile again. Sora almost melted into a puddle right there in the doorway.

"Never," Riku said. "You being a bother, I mean."

"So, uh..."

"Hey, you wanna do something tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Sora said. "I'd like that a lot." Riku smiled and nodded as he closed the door.

"Good night. Hope you sleep well," Riku said.

"You too." Riku closed the door, and Sora walked back into his room. He turned on the TV, crawled into bed, and imagined Riku holding him as he drifted off to sleep within minutes, warming and smiling like an idiot.

* * *

"Riku..." Cid said early the next morning as he sat the table, looking over the numbers in the financial notebook. "What's forty plus fifty-two?"

"Ninety-two, why?" Cid slapped the notebook down on the table in front of him.

"Because you wrote down seventy-nine with a few squiggles after it." Riku grabbed the notebook, his face pale as he stared at his math, or his _attempt_ at math, rather.

"I... uh...," Riku gulped and put the notebook down, dragging his hand over his face.

"Just fix it."

"Yeah..." Cid stood up, shaking his head. "I promise, it won't—"

"Not before my coffee. It's fine, just fix it, but not before my coffee."

Riku nodded and scribbled the right numbers in, a blush on his cheeks as Cid walked away.


	4. Chapter 4

**Home on the Range  
**_  
_Tychos Kouros

**.**

It was ten o'clock when Roxas tried to get Sora out of bed. Roxas tried shaking Sora's shoulder at first, only to have his hand swatted away, Sora rolling over and burrowing deeper into the covers. It wasn't until Roxas yanked the covers off of the bed that Sora gave in, sitting up with a yawn.

"Fine, I'm up," Sora said, rubbing his face. Roxas sat cross-legged on the bed.

"Sorry, but it'll make the transition easier if we do it slow. A little each day," Roxas said. Sora nodded.

"So," Sora said, "me and Riku talked last night."

"Yeah?" A grin tore across Roxas' face. "You 'talked'?"

"Just talked," Sora said. "He drank a little and didn't want to move too fast. It was kind of sweet." Roxas smiled at him. "He was so fucking hot, too. You should have seen him, Roxas, in just pajama pants..."

"You look like you're about to start drooling, Sora." Sora laughed a little, grinning.

"He's a god, Roxas. I could stare at him for hours. And listen to him talk. His voice is orgasmic. And he thinks I'm cute." Roxas perked at that.

"He said that?" Roxas asked. Sora nodded. "Well, we should hurry then." Roxas hopped off of the bed and moved to the closet. Sora followed behind.

"Why, what's going on?"

"Nothing," Roxas said, digging through the drawers of unpacked clothes. "But we're wasting time."

"For?" Sora asked.

"Anything," Roxas said, turning to Sora. "Okay, uh... you're in here, yes?" Sora nodded. "And Riku's out there. And Riku said you're cute. And you think Riku is a god. Therefor...?" Sora shrugged. Roxas shook his head. "Therefor, you go out there, you two get to know each other better, tonight Riku fucks you like the stallion he is, and—"

"Wait," Sora said. "Where did we skip over all the bases and get back to home?"

"It's called a home run, Sora."

"The point is," Sora said, "Riku wants to take it slow."

"Which is why we're hurrying," Roxas said. "So you two can spend all day taking it slow."

"Why are you so set on this?" Sora asked. "You're like a sexaholic, and projecting it onto me."

"Because," Roxas said, "if Riku is keeping you company at night, then I'll know you aren't lonely and brooding. The sooner we get you on the horse," Roxas said, grinning, "the sooner I'll know you aren't holing yourself up in this room. Without good reason," he added.

"Roxas," Sora said, running his hand through his hair. He put his hands on Roxas' shoulders. "I'm okay. I've been okay, and I'm okay now that I'm here and settled in. And I'm more than okay after last night. But I'm not gonna jump into bed with him like a complete slut, okay?" Roxas opened his mouth. "And one day of hanging out isn't enough to get out of slut territory." Roxas let out a breath, deflating. He moved to sit on the bed.

"Fine. Alright, so maybe I'm rushing it. But you have to promise you'll make an effort to get out of this room. Cause that's what I worried about most, that you'd get yourself dug in here and we'd never get you out."

"I promise," Sora said.

"Good, because speaking of horses, that's what we're doing today."

* * *

A dusty kind of dirt powdered the concrete floor of the stables. It floated in the air along with the particles of hay, adding a slight burn in his nose to the smell of feed, horse poop, and sawdust. Sora wore a pair of jeans, just like Roxas told him to, despite the heat of late summer. The dirt and hay particles were already clumping in the sweat on Sora's forehead, smearing as he wiped it with his wrist.

"You're gonna love this," Roxas said. "We've got the perfect horse for you. He's solid. A three year old could ride him."

"Why do I have to ride him though?" Sora asked. "Can't I just pet him?"

"You need him to get around," Roxas said. Sora's looked down at his shoes, an old pair that were already a little worn. They had already picked up a brown color just from walking to the stables. He kicked up a dust cloud as Roxas stopped.

"What about the trucks?" Sora asked.

"Trucks get stuck in the mud. Horses can go anywhere. They don't break. Their engines don't freeze in winter, their radiators don't overheat in summer." Roxas leaned against the stable door. "Plus, how long does a car last? Five years? Ten years with lots of problems? On a farm, more like four, before you start paying out the ass to keep it running. But a good horse lasts twenty, thirty if he's healthy. They're reliable, Sora. They go more places than trucks and ATVs. And if it's a place a horse can't go, I promise you an ATV or truck can't get there either. Plus—"

"I get it," Sora said. Roxas laughed, turning around and unlatching the top door to the stall.

"You'll love him, Sora. You can pet him all you want. He's yours."

"I don't know how to take care of a horse, Roxas." Sora walked up after Roxas swung the upper door open. The horse was a paint, white with large splashes of chocolate brown and clear brown eyes, looking up from the bucket of feed he had his nose in.

"Which is why I'll take care of him. You just need to know enough not to kill him, which really isn't that much." Sora reached his hand forward to touch the blaze of white on the horse's forehead, but pulled it back when the horse lifted its head out of the bucket.

"What'd I do?" Sora asked. Roxas shook his head.

"You didn't do anything. But if someone walked up to you while you were eating, wouldn't you try to get a good look at them?" Sora shrugged.

"So it's okay to pet him? He won't bite or anything?"

"Not unless you put your fingers to his mouth and he thinks they're food. But I've only ever seen a horse bite another horse, and only because it was pretty pissed over something. I mean, I've been kicked at, but never bit at, if that answers your question."

"It doesn't make me feel much better," Sora said. "Kicked at isn't a better option. And getting run over..."

"Look, don't worry about it," Roxas said. "We'll come out here every day and do a little bit more. Getting used to him, then getting you up on him, and then working up through the gaits. Okay? And I guess it's not really that big of a deal, at least not until winter. If it's a bad winter then yeah, you'll need to have learned how to ride."

"So that's it for today then?" Sora said, backing away from the stall. Roxas laughed a little, throaty like a chuckle.

"You aren't getting off that easy, Sora." Roxas was grinning. "I don't expect you to ride a horse yourself just yet. But that's not a reason for you not riding along with someone who knows what they're doing." Roxas opened up the stall door to the left. In it was a light brown horse, the darker areas clearly brown and the lighter areas clearly blond. "Sora, meet Sam."

"Sam?" Sora asked, snorting as he started to laugh. Roxas glared, mouth tight, but Sora couldn't stop. "That's not the most horsely name, Roxas."

"Really," Roxas said, flat.

"Aren't they supposed to be named stuff like Silver, or Tonto?"

"Okay, first of all," Roxas said, "Tonto was the Lone Ranger's Pottawatomie sidekick, not a horse. Silver was his horse. And Tonto's horse was named Big Fellow. Second of all—"

"I can't believe you actually know that," Sora said.

"Secondly," Roxas said, poking Sora's forehead, "Sam is short for Sampson, neither of which matter since he can't help his name. And even if he could, Sam is a perfectly fine name. It's a good name for a good horse. I mean, he wouldn't make fun of your dorky name."

"Okay, I'm sorry," Sora said, still chuckling. "Sam's a fine name."

"You should be telling him that, not me," Roxas said. Sora sighed, walking up to the door.

"I'm sorry, Sam is a good name," Sora said. Roxas unlatched the bottom half of the stall door and slipped his fingers underneath Sam's halter, leading him out.

"It was kind of shortsighted that you'd make fun of him when you knew you'd be at his mercy for an afternoon."

* * *

The next two hours were a blur that Sora took with his eyes closed. Roxas saddled up Sam, trying to dumb the process down for Sora as he explained, and helped Sora make the awkward climb up onto the saddle, holding tight onto Roxas.

The ride itself went in cycles of slow and rolling, faster and rough, then faster and with his face pressed into Roxas' back, begging for it to stop. By the time it was over, his legs and arms were tired, his ass couldn't shake the feeling of the saddle pounding him, and his head was numb. Sora staggered a few steps after he slid off, then fell into the dirt, sitting on the floor of the barn while Roxas took off Sam's saddle.

"I'm not doing that again," Sora said.

"I bet you will," Roxas said. Sora shook his head. "What if it had been with Riku? And anyways, that was a crash course. When we get you on by yourself, it'll be walking in a circle for about a week. And the slow part wasn't so bad, right?"

"Alright, so I'm gonna learn to ride a horse so I can do nothing but ride it while it walks slowly. That makes sense," Sora said. Roxas rolled his eyes.

"It's called trail riding. It's fun, it's slow, and the scenery is amazing," Roxas said, trailing off a little with a dorky smile.

"Alright, where _haven't_ you and Axel had sex?" Sora asked. Roxas stuck his tongue out.

"Lots of places. We haven't had sex in your room. Or the front porch. Or the kitchen. So lots of places."

"It's sort of scary that you jumped to those places. So I'm guessing you've had sex in the living room and here in the barn, then," Sora said.

"Not out in the open barn," Roxas said with a sheepish grin. "Only in the hay loft and a stall. And I sucked him off in the tack room, but that's it!"

"And the living room?"

"No," Roxas said. "Not past heavy petting, anyways. But that doesn't count."

"Yes it does."

"How?"

"Because," Sora said, "a hand was touching a penis. That's illegal to do in public in some states. So it totally counts."

"Yeah, but is it illegal in _this_ state?" Roxas asked. Sora pouted.

"I'm new here, you should know the laws like that."

"Well, I can tell you that the laws don't matter much out here," Roxas said, laughing. "Anyways, Aerith's probably got lunch ready, it's through those doors and straight until you get to the patio." Sora nodded and made his way towards the house with a sluggishness in his legs. The afternoon heat was dry, with a slight breeze that chilled the sheen of sweat on his skin. Ranch hands were eating their lunches with relative transience, the tables more empty than full, with people coming and going in rotation, in sharp contrast to the packed tables the night before. Sora got a blast of cool air as he walked into the house, shivering a little as he came down from the heat he'd gotten used to. Aerith looked over her shoulder and smiled, turning back to the dishwasher she was loading.

"Sandwiches are on the counter," Aerith said. "Or I can make you something else, if you want."

"It's okay," Sora said, taking a turkey sandwich from the pile that was between the peanut butter and the ham sandwich piles. Sora put some mustard and mayonnaise on it, which were in the line of condiments further down the counter. "Is there anything I can do?" Aerith smiled at him, shaking her head.

"Not right now, but thank you for asking." Sora nodded and started eating his sandwich.

* * *

Riku pulled the tractor into the garage, throwing his shirt, which he'd taken off within the first hour of plowing, over his shoulder as he hopped down. Axel rolled out from underneath the truck he was working on, watching as Riku moved to lean against the wall over him.

"I need a favor," Riku said, wiping the sweat off of his face with his shirt. Axel sat up.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Riku said, "I was just gonna go for a ride later, was wondering if I could borrow an ATV."

"Sure," Axel said. "But you have to tell me the real reason." Riku looked down at him. "For the ride, I mean. What's up?" Riku shrugged a little, then laughed to himself and sat down on the floor, stretching his legs out.

"I just told Sora I'd take him out to do something today. I figure he's never done that before, so..."

"Damn," Axel said, laughing. "Nice work, stud. He's been here for all of two days and you've already got him hanging off of you on a wild ride in the woods."

"Just to see the sunset," Riku said. Axel's grin was sinister. He moved over next to Riku, who was watching him but too tired to move away. Axel put an arm around Riku's shoulders, his other hand waving around for theatrics.

"What a romantic," Axel said. "Really, my heart is aflutter by such deed. Tis lovethly, thine thoughtfulthness for thou's interest."

"You mean like that ring I hel—" Axel clamped his hand over Riku's mouth.

"It's never to be spoken of, Riku. You promised." Riku pulled the hand away from his mouth.

"Sorry. Just saying though. I'm not the only romantic one here." Axel looked at him with a lopsided grin, then smiled and leaned his head back against the wall.

"Nah, guess you're not," Axel said. "You like him?" Riku nodded, without thinking at first, but then stopped as he thought about the question and nodded again. "Does he know? I mean, have you told him?"

"Yeah. I mean... sort of," Riku said. "I told him he was cute. I didn't sit down and spell it out for him, but I think he got it."

"Maybe," Axel said. "Roxas has said he can be a little bit of a space cadet. So..."

"God," Riku said, dragging a hand down his face.

"I'm just saying, Riku. You need to spell stuff out for him, maybe. If you think he knows though then he probably does."

"But now I'm not sure. What if he was just trying to make me feel better?"

"Hey," Axel said. "Did he say he likes you too? Or something like that?"

"No," Riku said. "I just assumed he did, cause he was staring at me without a shirt on."

"Then there you go."

"But—"

"No buts," Axel said. "Just go up to him, be confident, and you've got a kickass first date planned out. Even if he was just saying it, you're setting yourself up right to win him over anyways. But from what Roxas has told me about him, he wouldn't just say it. Or if he did, he'd commit to it. So go in," Axel said, standing up, "show him the stud you are, and claim his ass for yourself, got it?" Riku looked up at him, and started laughing. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, I just didn't expect to need a pep talk, I guess."

"Yeah, well. It's dating," Axel said. "We all need pep talks to get through it." Riku nodded, balling his shirt up and heading to get an ATV.

"Thanks, by the way," Riku said.

* * *

"Don't mention it," Axel said, smiling. "I owe you for the ring."

Roxas had walked Sam and gotten him fed for the day when he walked into the kitchen, where Sora was loading the dishwasher while Aerith started a new load of laundry.

"So," Roxas said, grabbing a sandwich. "What do you want to do for the rest of the day?"

"I don't know. Riku asked me last night if I wanted to do something, so..."

"... _so?_" Roxas asked, wanting more.

"I don't know. He was buzzed when he asked. So what if he doesn't remember? Or regrets it?"

"He wouldn't," Roxas said, grabbing a Coke out of the refrigerator.

"How do you know?" Sora asked. Roxas put the sandwich and Coke on the table, moving next to Sora to help him load the dishwasher.

"Because I can't imagine Riku doing that even if he were shit-faced. Riku's the kind of guy who says what he means and never says much more than that. If he says it, he means it."

"I guess," Sora said.

"Yeah, well, I know," Roxas said, "and you'll find out. Plus it's kind of early. I mean, everyone's still working, so... seriously, don't worry." Roxas smiled at him, and Sora smiled back, but Roxas could tell he was forcing it. "Look, I'll get the dishes if you wanna go change and shower. Kill some time and all that." Sora nodded and started up for his room, but stopped and hugged Roxas.

"Thanks, by the way," Sora said. Roxas started to ask what he was being thanked for, but he nodded and didn't force it.

"Don't worry about it, Sora. It's what brothers are for, right?" Sora nodded and walked into the living room.

"Hey," Riku said, catching Sora off guard. He was in the doorway still, walking in with a handful of mail. Sora's breath caught on the sight of Riku sweaty and shirtless, his wrinkled shirt hanging around his neck while he looked at the letters.

"Hi..." Sora saw the tiniest drop in Riku's smile when he said it, small enough that he was wondering if he'd seen it at all. But Riku rubbed his neck and smiled wider, putting the letters on the table by the door.

"So I had an idea about what we could today," Riku said, "if you're still interested I mean." Sora let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, nodding as a smile split his face.

"Yeah! I mean.. yeah, I'm definitely still interested."

"Good. You'll probably need a change of clothes or something to swim in if it's an issue," Riku said. "I mean, if you don't like swimming in your clothes. Or we just screw it and... I mean..." Riku took quick breath, letting it out with a nervous chuckle. "It's up to you. But yeah, swimming."

"That works out well," Sora said. "Roxas took me riding earlier, so I needed a shower anyways."

"Yeah, me too," Riku said with a smile. "So I'll only smell like shit on the way up, if it doesn't kill you by the time we get there." Sora laughed, followed by a dragging silence. "So, we both get changes of clothes and whatever, and you meet me here in ten minutes?"

"Sure," Sora said, waving as he started up the stairs. He took the first few stairs deliberately, until he heard the door shut, taking the rest of them fast, skipping stairs when possible. By the time he reached the top, he was going fast enough that he lost his balance trying to keep from running into the person standing around the corner. Looking up, he saw Roxas grinning like a moron.

"He really is a genius," Roxas said, ignoring the confused glare Sora was giving him. "A first date that gets you naked and relaxed... oh, and I told you so," Roxas said, sticking out his tongue as they walked to the third floor.

"Yeah, yeah... so what do people wear to swim out here?" Sora asked.

"Depends," Roxas said. "I mean, what everyone else wears if it's like a day at the pool or whatever. But if it's for cooling off after working, then... I don't know. Naked if it's too far back for wet clothes. Otherwise, in your clothes if you're too tired to get them off and bother with it. It just depends."

"Why would I need another change of clothes though?" Sora asked.

"Cause he's gonna fuck you Sora. A change of clothes is mandatory when you have sex in the woods." Sora stared at him, not entirely believing him but not completely unconvinced he wasn't serious. It was visible enough that Roxas noticed, laughing at him. "In case you wear your clothes to swim, Sora. Look, stop worrying. Just watch what Riku does and do the same thing. And if something goes wrong, you have a second change of clothes and a guy who knows what to do. It'll be fine." Sora nodded as they went into his room, trying to relax a little. It didn't do much good though. His brain was busy unknotting itself while he dug through the drawers full of clothes.


End file.
